PAWS Chicago - Community Outreach

Earlier this month, Chicago's animal welfare community came together to move thousands of pounds of pet food to rescues and pet food pantries across the city.

On Wednesday, Amber, a PAWS Chicago vet tech, learned that Pet N Sale, a pet supply store in Woodridge, was closing. She asked the store's manager, Baris, whether the store would donate its remaining food. He said yes to all of it.

Our Community Outreach team drove out that night and found far more than any one group could carry. Within hours, PAWS Chicago, Mutts of the Midway, April's Kittens, and Wags 2 Wishes Animal Rescue loaded every van, car, and hatchback available and worked until nearly midnight. Pet N Sale gave us two more days to finish.

More rescues arrived Thursday. On Friday, our Community Outreach team and veterinary social work interns returned with three vans and still found more to move. Alderman Anthony Beale's office arrived with a van and then rented a U-Haul. Wags 2 Wishes and K9 Enrichment Initiative (K9EI Rescue) came back as well. By 5:30pm, every bag and every can was headed to a rescue or pet food pantry.

This food will help rescues save more lives and help more families keep their pets at home.

Need pet food? See the attached list of pet food pantries. We will share upcoming opportunities here, so follow this page to stay up to date.

Thank you to Baris and Pet N Sale, Amber, and every rescue, volunteer, and office that showed up. No one organization could have done this alone.

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A principios de este mes, la comunidad de bienestar animal de Chicago se unió para llevar decenas de miles de comida para mascotas a rescates y bancos de comida para mascotas en toda la ciudad.

El miércoles, Amber, técnica veterinaria de PAWS Chicago, supo que Pet N Sale, una tienda de artículos para mascotas en Woodridge, iba a cerrar. Le preguntó al gerente, Baris, si la tienda donaría la comida que quedaba. Él dijo que sí a toda.

Nuestro equipo de Alcance Comunitario fue esa misma noche y encontró mucho más de lo que un solo grupo podía llevar. En pocas horas, PAWS Chicago, Mutts of the Midway, April's Kittens y Wags 2 Wishes Animal Rescue llenaron todas las camionetas y carros disponibles y trabajaron hasta casi la medianoche. Pet N Sale nos dio dos días más para terminar.

El jueves llegaron más rescates. El viernes, nuestro equipo de Alcance Comunitario y los practicantes de trabajo social veterinario regresaron con tres camionetas y aún quedaba más. La oficina del Concejal Anthony Beale llegó con una camioneta y después rentó un U-Haul. Wags 2 Wishes y K9 Enrichment Initiative (K9EI Rescue) también regresaron. A las 5:30pm, cada bolsa y cada lata iba en camino a un rescate o banco de comida para mascotas.

Esta comida ayudará a los rescates a salvar más vidas y a más familias a mantener a sus mascotas en casa.

¿Necesita comida para su mascota? Consulte la lista adjunta de bancos de comida para mascotas. Compartiremos aquí las próximas oportunidades, así que siga esta página para mantenerse informado.

Gracias a Baris y Pet N Sale, a Amber y a cada rescate, voluntario y oficina que participó. Ninguna organización pudo haber hecho esto sola.

Meet Lass.

In August, Lass arrived at Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC) with her three siblings. Their owner faced a sudden change in life circumstances and could no longer keep all four cats. CACC was able to take two cats that day, which left the owner unsure where the other two would go.

Our 360@CACC team met with the owner, assessed each cat, and found the right next step for every one of them. Lass and her sister Laurel came to PAWS Chicago, and another Homeward Bound partner took in their two siblings. Today, Lass and Laurel share a loving home together.

Lass's story comes from a new pilot program we are proud to introduce: Homeward Bound Highway.

📍What is Homeward Bound Highway?

Homeward Bound Highway is an early-stage pilot that builds on PAWS Chicago's Citizen Cat Care work and our 360@CACC partnership with Chicago Animal Care and Control. The pilot gives cats an individual assessment at CACC intake and finds each one the right next step, so cats spend less time in the shelter and more time where they belong.

📍How the pilot started

CACC does not admit healthy outdoor cats, and people who brought those cats to the shelter often left without a way to get them connected to a loving home or spay/neutered before releasing them back into the community. Often, these cats to not have a safe place to go back to. We launched the Homeward Bound Highway pilot in April to test a way to close that gap. Our team assesses each cat and matches it with the path that fits best, including adoption, Finder to Foster, Finder Keeper, and Trap-Neuter-Return to the neighborhood it came from. Cats in the pilot stay separate from CACC's general population to limit their time and stress in a shelter setting, and the PAWS Chicago intake team picks them up the very next morning.

Our team also meets people where they are, right in the CACC intake line. We offer every person we meet free spay/neuter for any pet in their household, along with Trap-Neuter-Return access for the community cats they care for.

📍What we are learning

Six months in, the early results are very promising. The number of cats in the pilot has grown steadily since April, and each month teaches us more about what cats and their people need. The pilot has already grown from outdoor cats to include all cats that CACC does not have a place for and would otherwise turn away. Surrendering a pet is hard. We work with owners to lay out clear options and concrete next steps, so they can choose what is best for them and their cat. That support lowers stress for the person and the animal alike.

📍What the pilot aims to do

Homeward Bound Highway is testing a model built around three goals:
1. Reduce Chicago's unaltered cat population through targeted assessment and spay/neuter.
2. Shorten the time cats spend at CACC and limit unnecessary shelter exposure.
3. Build a model that other Homeward Bound partners can engage in.

📍What comes next

Homeward Bound Highway is still a pilot in its early stages. We are growing in intentional phases so we can sustainably support Chicago pets and their people for the long term. Space at CACC changes day to day, and we are building this work alongside our Homeward Bound partners across the city so more Chicago cats, like Lass and Laurel, land somewhere safe.

Yesterday, PAWS Chicago held our first Pet Food Pantry in partnership with the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) in Englewood. Together, we served 95 families and connected 20 of those families with free spay and neuter surgery for every pet in their household, bringing preventative care as well as pet food to our neighbors in Englewood.

IMAN works to address the structural and systemic barriers to a dignified quality of life in Chicago's marginalized communities. Through community organizing, the arts, and a holistic health center, IMAN fosters health, wellness, and healing across the neighborhoods it serves.

Partnering with established community hubs like IMAN matters. Neighbors already know and trust these spaces, and they are there every day, long after our tables are packed up. When we bring pet resources into places families already rely on, people have a familiar place to return to for support, referrals, and connection to services between pantry dates. That is how access becomes lasting rather than a one-day event.

Thank you to the IMAN team for welcoming us and to every family who came out. This is just the start, and we are excited to grow this partnership on the South Side.

We kept this first event small as we launched the partnership together. More opportunities are on the way, so follow our page to be the first to know!

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Ayer, PAWS Chicago realizó su primera despensa de alimentos para mascotas en colaboración con Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) en Englewood. Juntos, atendimos a 95 familias y conectamos a 20 de ellas con cirugías de esterilización gratuitas para todas las mascotas de su hogar, llevando atención preventiva además de alimento para mascotas a nuestros vecinos de Englewood.

IMAN trabaja para enfrentar las barreras estructurales y sistémicas que impiden una calidad de vida digna en las comunidades marginadas de Chicago. A través de la organización comunitaria, las artes y un centro de salud integral, IMAN promueve la salud, el bienestar y la sanación en los vecindarios que atiende.

Colaborar con centros comunitarios establecidos como IMAN es importante. Los vecinos ya conocen y confían en estos espacios, y siguen presentes todos los días, mucho después de que recogemos nuestras mesas. Cuando llevamos recursos para mascotas a lugares en los que las familias ya confían, las personas tienen un lugar conocido al que regresar para recibir apoyo, referencias y conexión con servicios entre una despensa y otra. Así es como el acceso se vuelve duradero y no solo un evento de un día.

Gracias al equipo de IMAN por recibirnos y a todas las familias que nos acompañaron. Esto es solo el comienzo, y nos entusiasma hacer crecer esta alianza en el South Side.

Mantuvimos este primer evento a menor escala mientras lanzábamos la alianza. Vienen más oportunidades, así que sigan nuestra página para enterarse primero.

Meet Lali!

Lali is one of two full-time PAWS Chicago staff members stationed at Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC), where she supports adoptions and helps connect pets with new families every week. Lali was recently promoted to our 360@CACC Program Manager of Adoptions and Community Programs, and she brings deep knowledge of the shelter, its animals, and the people who walk through its doors.

CACC does not have funding for a dedicated adoptions program. That makes the 360@CACC team and CACC's volunteers essential to getting animals out of the shelter and into homes. Through 360@CACC, PAWS Chicago provides adoption support at CACC seven days a week, including bilingual support in English and Spanish. For many families, being able to ask questions and talk through an adoption in their own language makes all the difference. And it is working! 2025 was CACC's highest adoption year on record.

When you visit CACC to adopt, you may meet Lali or another member of our team. We are there every day to help you find the right pet and to make sure every adoption starts on a strong footing.

Ready to meet your next best friend? Visit Chicago Animal Care and Control at 2741 S. Western Ave. or learn more about 360@CACC at pawschicago.org.

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Conozcan a Lali!

Lali es una de dos empleadas de tiempo completo de PAWS Chicago asignadas a Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC), donde apoya las adopciones y ayuda a conectar mascotas con nuevas familias cada semana. Lali asumió recientemente su puesto como Gerente del Programa de Adopciones y Programas Comunitarios, y aporta un amplio conocimiento del refugio, sus animales y las personas que llegan a sus puertas.

CACC no cuenta con fondos para un programa de adopciones dedicado. Por eso, el equipo de 360@CACC y los voluntarios de CACC son esenciales para que los animales salgan del refugio y lleguen a un hogar. A través de 360@CACC, PAWS Chicago ofrece apoyo con adopciones en CACC los siete días de la semana, incluyendo apoyo bilingüe en inglés y español. Para muchas familias, poder hacer preguntas y hablar sobre una adopción en su propio idioma hace toda la diferencia.

Cuando visite CACC para adoptar, es posible que conozca a Lali o a un miembro de nuestro equipo. Estamos allí todos los días para ayudarle a encontrar la mascota adecuada y asegurarnos de que cada adopción comience con una base sólida.

¿Listo para conocer a su próximo mejor amigo? Visite Chicago Animal Care and Control en 2741 S. Western Ave. o conozca más sobre 360@CACC en pawschicago.org.

The Cook County Department of Animal and Rabies Control is hosting its final three Partners in Prevention clinics of the season this Saturday, Oct. 10, offering free rabies and distemper vaccines and microchips for pets.
Clinics will be held at:

-Canine Therapy Corps: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., dogs only
-Estelle Sieb Community Center: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., cats and dogs
-Thomas Kelly Hall College Preparatory: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., cats and dogs

Check out the clinic details here: http://cookgov.me/petclinics.

When Russia arrived at Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC), she needed emergency surgery to save her life.

PAWS Chicago’s 360@CACC team met Russia, a Rottweiler suffering from pyometra, a life-threatening infection of the uterus. Without prompt treatment, pyometra can lead to sepsis, organ failure and death.

Russia needed an emergency spay, and PAWS Chicago’s veterinary team was able to provide the lifesaving surgery at its Lurie Clinic the very next day.

While pyometra surgery involves the same basic procedure as a routine spay, removing the ovaries and uterus, it is significantly more complex. The infected uterus becomes swollen, fragile and filled with pus, requiring surgeons to remove it carefully without rupturing it. Because these animals are often seriously ill, they also face greater risks during anesthesia and surgery and may require additional medical care.

This is where PAWS Chicago’s expertise in high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter surgery makes a difference.

On an average day, the veterinary team at the Lurie Clinic performs 80 to 100 spay/neuter surgeries. That extensive surgical experience, combined with specialized medical resources, allows PAWS to provide emergency pyometra surgery to eligible patients for free or at a fraction of the cost of traditional veterinary hospitals.

Russia is far from alone. Since 2020, PAWS Chicago has provided 757 emergency pyometra surgeries to owned pets at the Lurie Clinic, helping families across Chicago access affordable, lifesaving veterinary care. At a private veterinary hospital, these procedures can cost thousands of dollars, leaving many families facing difficult decisions about their pets’ lives.

Russia’s story also demonstrates why access to spay/neuter surgery is so important. Spaying prevents pyometra entirely, protecting animals from this life-threatening infection before it develops.

Over the past 25 years, PAWS Chicago has performed more than 350,000 spay/neuter surgeries, helping drive a nearly 90% reduction in euthanasia in Chicago shelters.

From preventing life-threatening conditions to providing emergency spay surgeries when animals need it most, PAWS Chicago’s veterinary team is helping keep pets healthy, safe and at home with the families who love them.

🐾 RESCUE TOGETHER IS BACK! ADOPTION FEES WAIVED! 🐾

We're teaming up once again with PAWS Chicago for Rescue Together, a special adoption event! 🐶🐱

This successful event brings our community together to help more homeless pets find loving families while making room to help even more animals in need. ❤️

🎉 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17 IS THE BIG DAY AT CACC! 🎉

Join us from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. for our main adoption event! We'll have additional adoption counselors onsite and an army of dedicated volunteers ready to help you meet, fall in love with, and hopefully bring home your newest family member!

💛 ALL ADOPTION FEES WILL BE WAIVED for dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens at CACC!

📍 2741 S. Western Ave., Chicago

📅 Saturday, October 17 | 12–6 p.m.

While Rescue Together continues Sunday, October 18, we strongly encourage everyone considering adoption to visit us on SATURDAY! That's when we'll have extra hands on deck to help make your adoption experience as smooth and welcoming as possible. We anticipate a busy weekend, with adoption activity potentially carrying over into Sunday!

🏡 Every adoption changes two lives: the pet going home and the next animal who gets a chance because space has opened up.

❤️ Come be part of something special. Your new best friend could be waiting!

🔗 Learn more about Rescue Together and participating locations: https://www.pawschicago.org/RescueTogether

🐕 Chicago residents: There's a $5 dog license fee that cannot be waived but can be paid at the shelter.

Through PAWS Chicago's Veterinary Social Work Program at Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC), our team helps families facing housing instability, financial hardship, pet loss, and other difficult circumstances.

For families seeking end of life services, we provide grief support, memorial paw prints, and small keepsakes to help honor the human-animal bond.

We've created an Amazon Wish List to help provide these services! From clay paw prints and sympathy cards to remembrance gifts, these supplies help us bring comfort and compassion to Chicago families when they need it most.

View our wish list: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1CRGZ1G0M8M6P?ref_=wl_share

Thank you for helping us care for pets and the people who love them.